Hotels offer various types of amenities to attract guests — from free breakfasts and airport shuttles to laundry services and spas.
But a downtown Salt Lake City hotel hopes to lure travelers with a different kind of perk — free access during their stay to billions of genealogical records.
The Kimpton Hotel Monaco, 15 W. 200 South, recently announced a partnership with Ancestry — becoming the first hotel in the country and possibly the world — to offer guests free Wi-Fi access to the Lehi-based company’s extensive collection of family history records.
“We feel this is a natural relationship,” said Jared Tomlinson, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing, “given the growing trend of travelers visiting the genealogy capital of the world to explore their family lineage.”
Salt Lake City has become a well-known destination for those interested in researching their family tree. It is home to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Family History Library — the world’s largest genealogical library — with records and data of more than 3 billion people.
Located at 35 N. West Temple, it attracts visitors from all over the globe interested in learning about their ancestors.
The state also is home to other providers of family history and consumer genetic services.
Among the largest is Ancestry, which has more than 3 million subscribers who pay anywhere from $20 to $45 per month to access the company’s 20 billion records including birth, marriage and death certificates as well as census information that includes occupations, ages, siblings, birthplaces, addresses and maiden names.
The Hotel Monaco’s Wi-Fi IP address is recognized by Ancestry, Tomlinson said, which allows guests in any room to bypass the fee.
“We hope guests will take full advantage of their stay,” he added, “and be inspired to learn more about their family history during their trip and even when they return home.”
